Building wall construction

ABSTRACT

A building wall construction that includes a plurality of panel elements which are mounted on a slotted supporting structure to form a wall portion thereof, or which are mounted on opposed surfaces of said slotted supporting structure, in spaced apart relation, to form a spaced wall construction.

United States Barbera 451 New. 26, W73

[ BUILDING WALL CONSTRUCTIUN [76] Inventor: Edmund C. Barbers, 55Hillandale Rd, Port Chester, NY.

[22] Filed: Aug. 2, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 168,202

[52] US. Cl. 52/426, 52/481, 52/562 [51] Int. Cl E041) 2 /28, E04b 2/40,E041) 2/30 [58] Field 01 Search 52/314, 435, 426,

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,164,137 6/1939 London52/410 X 3,238,684 3/1966 Wood 3,005,293 10/1961 Hunter ..52/496X3,405,495 10/1968 Barbera 52/562 3,217,453 11/1965 Medow...

3,310,917 3/1967 Simon 52/515 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS1,459,965 4/1969 Germany 52/426 Primary Examiner-Frank L. AbbottAssistant Examiner-John R. Masterman Attorney-Seidman and Fisher [57]ARSTIRACT A building wall construction that includes a plurality ofpanel elements which are mounted on a slotted supporting structurefdibir'm a wall portion thereof, or which are mounted on opposedsurfaces of said slotted supporting structure, in spaced apart relation,to form a spaced wall construction.

7 (Ilaims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEUHHV 20 I915 sum 1 BF 1% INVENTOREDMUND C. BARBERA ATTORNEYS.

. INVENTOR Y EDMUND C. BARBERA ATTORNEYS.

BUILDING WALL CONSTRUCTION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of theInvention This invention relates, generally, to a building wallconstruction, and more particularly, to a plurality of panel elementsassembled to form a wall construction.

2. Description of the Prior Art l-leretofore, building wall panels havebeen proposed which included a plurality of panel elements mounted on asupporting structure which, in turn, were mounted or affixed to a baseor wall surface. It has further been proposed to assemble building wallblocks which included spaced panels interconnected by some type ofspacing structure. The assembly of such conventional wall panels andblocks has not proven satisfactory in view of the multiple manualassembly operations involved; such as screwing, clamping and the like,which require a fair degree of skill. Additional problems have arisenwith respect to conventional building wall structures in the manner bywhich they are made and interconnected. For example, with respect to awall structure constructed of spaced panel elements, it is customary tohave the spacing structure inserted directly into the respectivepanelsLThis has not provided a practical and operative interconnectingarrangement and has resulted in making the conventional building panelsand blocks heavy, complicated and expensive to manufacture.

The above and other disadvantages known in the aforesaid conventionalbuilding wall structures prompted the applicant to invent and developimproved structures such as those referred to in his U.S. Pat. No.3,405,495 and co-pending application for U.S. Letters Patent, Ser. No.848,923, now U.S. Pat. No.

The aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 3,405,495 is directed generally to aconstruction that includes a plurality of pairs of spaced panel membersarranged in vertically staggered and longitudinally end abuttingrelation. Each panel member is provided with a connector memberextending along and secured to a longitudinal edge thereof. Theconnector members cooperate in association with spacing members tosupport pairs of panel members in spaced apart relation.

The aforesaid Patent application Ser. No. 848,923, now U.S. Pat. No.3,611,664 is directed generally to a spaced wall construction formed ofa plurality of panel elements mounted on a supporting structure. Eachpanel cooperates with an elongated mounting member having a crosssection defining first, second and third groove portions. Two of saidgrooves are substantially aligned and oppositely extending with respectto each other for receiving the tongue-like portions of the panelelements located immediately above and below said elongated mountingmember. The third groove portion is laterally related to one of theother groove portions and cooperates with a clamping structure providedon a support member, which in turn, affixes said panels to a pluralityof such spaced support members.

The present invention generally provides for an improved building wallconstructionv directed toward overcoming the foregoing and othershortcomings of the prior art. In this connection, the present inventionis an improvement over applicant's prior patent and copending patentapplication, and provides improved means for mounting a plurality ofpanel elements on a supporting structure, all as will be explained indetail subsequently herein. In another embodiment of the invention,improved means are provided for supporting a plurality of pairs ofopposed panel elments in spaced apart relation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The building wall construction of the presentinvention includes a plurality of panel elements that are mounted on aslotted supporting structure to form a wall portion thereof, or aremounted on opposed surfaces of said slotted supporting structure, inspaced apart relation, to form a spaced wall construction. Morespecifically, the supporting structure includes a plurality of supportmembers arranged in longitudinally spaced realtion; each of said membershaving a plurality of vertically spaced slotted openings in therespective wall portions thereof. The spaced openings of the supportmembers, at any given level, are in substantially longitudinally alignedrelation to each other. A plurality of elongated mounting members arearranged in vertically spaced relation and extend transversely of theupport members; said mounting members, in turn, cooperating with aplurality of panel elements to thus form the building wall structure. inthis connection, each of the mounting members has an inner edge portionwhich is received within the corresponding aligned openings in thesupport members. Each of said mounting members further includes a ribportion adjacent the said inner edge thereof which is adapted to abutthe outer surface of the wall portion of the resepective support membersto limit the projection of the inner edge of said elongated mountingmember within the corresponding openings of the support members. Each ofsaid mounting members also has a cross-section defining first and secondgroove portions that are substantially aligned and oppositely extendingwith respect to each other for receiving the edge portions of the panelelements located immediately above and below the mounting member.

In those instances where the slotted support members are utilized toform a spaced wall construction, each of said support members includes aplurality of pairs of opposed openings in vertically spaced relationalong opposed wall portions thereof. A plurality of pairs of saidelongated mounting members are arranged in opposed and vertically spacedrelation and extend transversely of said support members, whereby theopposed inner edge portions of each pair of said opposed mountingmembers are respectively received within the corresponding pairs ofopposed openings in the support members. In the preferred embodiment ofthe spaced wall construction, the invention further provides for bracingmeans extending between and interconnecting the opposed elongatedmounting members.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to construct abuilding wall structure that will provide a sturdy and competitivearticle of manufacture.

Another object and feature of the invention is to provide a buildingwall construction wherein a pair of novel panel elements are keptaccurately spaced and firmly supported.

A further object and feature of the invention is to provide a buildingwall construction wherein the individual components are economical tomanufacture and easy to assemble.

The above brief description, as well as further objects, features andadvantages of the present invention, will be more fully appreciated byreference to the following detailed description thereof, when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TI-IE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspectiveview, partly in section, illustrating a plurality of panel elements andtheir associated mounting means and supporting means forming a portionof a building wall construction in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken through line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken through line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the novel panel elementconstructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken through line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the panel element illustrated in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a partial side view, in section, illustrating adjacent panelelements in their associated relation; and

FIG. 8 is a reduced perspective view of the novel panel element.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, andmore particularly to FIGS. 1 and 4 through 8, numeral 10 represents anovel panel element constructed in accordance with the presentinvention. Panel element 10 has a flat face 12 which is preferablyrectangular in shape and is finished, embossed, raised or provided withother finished designs. In the embodiment of FIGS. 4-8, panel 10 isformed of steel and includes a protective coating of vinyl 14 on theface and edge portions thereof. The dimensional characteristic of thepanels are such as to simulate building bricks; being approximately 8-%inches in length and 2-% inches in width. It will be appreciated,however, that these dimensions are purely illustrative and are not to beinterpreted as being limitations on the present invention. Similarly,panel 10 may have other shapes and can be formed of other materials suchas wood, plastic or a cementitious composition. In this connection,reference may be had to applicants previously noted US. Pat. No.3,405,495 and pending application Ser. No. 848,923, now US. Pat. No.3,611,664 which relate to generally similar panel elements that aremounted on a supporting structure.

Panel element 10 is illustrated as having a channel shape cross-sectionand is conveniently considered a plate member having oppositely disposedrecessed end edge portions 16 and 18 which serve to secure andinterconnect adjacent like panel elements together. In this connection,recessed end edge 16 is provided with a mortar simulating coating orcomposition 20 having an outer surfacewhich is substantially co-levelwith the outer surface 22 of the panel or plate. In assembling adjacentlike panels 10 together, as shown in FIG. 7, the end edge portion 18 ofone panel is arranged in overlapping relation to the mortar coatedrecessed end edge portion 16 of the other adjacent like panel, whileleaving the mortar coating 20 exposed to view. The result thus providesan overall appearance closely simulating an actual brick assembly. Theopposed side edge portions 24 of panel 10 are also recessed to providelongitudinally extending edge portions which serve to interconnect thepanel with a supporting structure in a manner hereinafter described.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, there is illustrated the novelstructure for assembling the aforesaid panel elements into the buildingwall construction of the invention. Generally, the structureincorporates mounting means 26 which cooperate with the panel elements10 to mount said panels on a supporting structure 28. In the preferredembodiment, supporting structure 28 includes a plurality of tubularsupport members 30 arranged in longitudinally spaced relation, with eachof said support members having a plurality of pairs of opposed slottedopenings 32 arranged in vertically spaced relation along opposed wallportions 34 thereof. The slotted openings 32 on each side or wallportion of the tubular support members 30 are located to extendtransversely of the axis thereof and, at any given level, are insubstantially longitudinally aligned relation to each other. Tubularmembers 30 are preferably made of stiff paper or cardboard having 6 inchdiameters and are spaced at 8 inch centers; however these dimensions arepurely illustrative and are not to be deemed as limitations.Furthermore, the tubular members may be constructed of other materials;such as metal, plastic or the like. In addition, the reference to theterm tubular is not confined to members having a cylindrical shape, butis deemed to mean any structure, whether it be hollow, solid orcellular, and whether it be oval, square or polygonal in section.

The manner of engaging the panel elements 10 with the supporting members30 is achieved by the mounting means represented generally by numeral26. Mounting means 26 is illustrated as an elongated member or strip 36,preferably extruded from aluminum, having opposite end edge portions 38and 40 interconnected by intermediate web portion 42. The inner end edgeportion 38 is adapted to be frictionally received within a selectedslotted opening 32 of a support member 30. In this connection, theconstruction provides for a plurality of said mounting members 36 to bearranged in vertically spaced relation relative to at least one of thewall portions 34 of support members 30, and

extending transversely thereof, whereby the inner endv edge portions 38of said mounting members 36 are respectively received withincorresponding openings 32 in said support members. If desired, suitableclip fasten-' ers (not shown) may be employed having portions thereofcooperating with a selected support member 30 and the associated inneredges 38 of the mounting members 36 to insure that said mounting membersare firmly maintained in their respective assembled positions.

In order to also insure that the mounting members 36 are in verticallyaligned relation to each other, means are provided to limit the extentto which the respective inner edges 38 thereof are inserted within thecorresponding slotted openings 32 of support members 30. In thisconnection, each of said mounting members 36 is provided with alongitudinally extending rib portion 44 adjacent the said inner edge 38thereof and upstanding from web portion 42. The arrangement is such thatrib portion 44 abuts the outer surface of wall portion 34 of saidsupport member 30 to limit the projection of said inner edge 38 withinslotted opening 32. Furthermore, since the extended distance between therib portion 44 and the other end edge portion 40 of each mounting memberis substantially the same, the overall result is to locate the edgeportions 40 of the respective mounting members 36 in vertically alignedrelation;

thereby enabling the panel elements to be disposed in substantiallyaligned relation to each other in the manner hereinafter described.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the end edge portion 40 of each panelelement 110 is shown as having a substantially H-cross section toprovide substantial vertical alignment between groove portions 46 and48. These grooves are oppositely extending with respect to each otherand extend longitudinally for the full extent of the elongated mountingmembers. Accordingly, it will now be apparent that grooves 46 and 48serve to receive the longitudinally extending side edge portions 24 ofvertically related and adjacent like panel elments 10.

More specifically, the construction of a building wall can be readilyassembled by first securing or affixing the support members 30 to a baseB or other supporting surface. In the illustrative embodiment, supportmembers 30 may be fixedly retained in a cement foundation and arrangedin upstanding relation thereto whereby a plurality of said supportmembers are disposed in longitudinally spaced relation. Thereafter, thevertically spaced mounting members 36 are connected to support members30 in a manner to extend transversely thereof, whereby the inner edgeportions 38 of said mounting members are respectively and frictionallyre ceived within the corresponding slotted openings 32 of said supportmembers. Panel elements 10 may now be interposed and located betweenvertically related mounting members 36 by locating the longitudinallyextending side edge portions 24 of said panels within opposed grooves 46and 48 of adjacent mounting members. It will be readily appreciated thatpanels 10 are inserted within said grooves in an edgewise manner.Furthermore, as previously noted in association with the description ofFIG. 7, each of the panels 10 should be suitably oriented when insertingit within the grooves 46, 48 of the mounting members so that the endedge portion 18 thereof is arranged in overlapping relation to themortar coated recessed end edge portion 16 of an adjacent like panel,while leaving the mortar coating of said adjacent edge portion 16exposed to view. If desired, the front surface of mounting members 36can be roughened and a mortar simulating coating 50 applied thereon,thereby contributing to the overall appearance of the wall structure insimulating an actual brick assembly.

In those instances where the slotted support members are utilized toform a spaced wall construction, a plurality of pairs of said elongatedmounting members 36 are arranged in opposed and vertically spacedrelation, extending transversely of said support members, whereby theopposed inner edge portions 38 of each pair of opposed mounting members36 are respectively received within the corresponding pairs of opposed Jsponding rib portions 44 of a pair of opposed mounting members 36. Afterthe pairs of opposed mounting members 36 are secured to thelongitudinally spaced support members 30, the panel elements 10 may nowbe interposed and located between the vertically related mountingmembers 36, on each side of the supporting members, in the mannerheretofore described.

FIGS. 1 and 3 further illustrate the novel utility and structure of thepresent invention in forming a corner construction. The arrangement issuch that the cornermost support member 30 is additionally provided witha plurality of vertically spaced slotted openings 32, in a suitable wallportion thereof, so as to respectively receive the corresponding inneredge portions 38' of elongated mounting members 36, and angularly locatesaid mounting members 36' relative to the aforesaid spaced mountingmembers 36. The degree of angular corner construction need not belimited to forming 90 corners, but can be selectively chosen or adoptedwithin a given angular range. Furthermore, the shape of the end edge ofthe panel element located at the juncture of a corner is suitably chosenand adopted to provide a neat finish to the corner construction. I

If desired, upon completion of the spaced building wall construction ofa selected height, concrete 56 may be poured into the spaces between thepanel elements 10 of the enclosed structure, and the supporting members30, to provide additional strength and rigidity to the assembledstructure. It is understood that various insulating and/or structuralreinforcements may be used in lieu of concrete 56, such as mineral wool,insulating foams and granular insulators or the like. Furthermore, thesupporting structure 28 may be constituted of longitudinally successivesupport members 30 suitably coupled together in end to end relation toprovide a desired length thereof.

While the invention has been described with reference to a spaced wallconstruction, it is to be noted that the term wall is merelyillustrative and that the use of said term is not to be deemed alimitation on the invention. For example, it is within the scope of theinvention to practice the concepts thereof in building a spaced floorconstruction, wherein the panels 16 on one side of the supportingstructures 30 would define the floor surface of a room at one level andpanels MD on the other side thereof would define the ceiling surface ofa room at the next lower level. In other words, the structurehereinabove defined may be readily used in horizontal as well asvertical disposition thereby providing exterior and interior walls,floor panels, ceilings or combinations thereof.

It will now be appreciated from the above description, that the presentinvention provides for an improved building wall construction thateliminates the difficulties and other shortcomings heretofore referredto in the description of the prior art. The wall can be constructed andassembled rather quickly with a minimum of effort, and such assemblydoes not require the services of highly skilled personnel. Labor andmaterial costs are thus sharply reduced as compared to conventionalconstruction designs and techniques.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shownand describedin detail, it will be readily understood and appreciated that variouschanges or modifications thereof may be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a building wall construction having a plurality of pairs ofopposed panel elements, means for supporting said pairs of panelelements in spaced apart relation and means for mounting said pairs ofpanel elements on said supporting means, wherein the improvementcomprises:

a. said supporting means including a plurality of vertical tubularsupport members located between the opposed panel elements inlongitudinally spaced relation;

. each of said support members having a plurality of pairs of opposedslotted openings formed along opposed wall portions thereof invertically spaced relation, said slotted openings extending transverselyof the vertical axis of said support member and defining extendedsupport surfaces;

c. said mounting means including a plurality of pairs of opposedelongated members extending transversely of the support members invertically spaced relation;

. each of said mounting members having a longitudinally extending innermarginal portion received within the associated slotted openings in thewalls of the support members, said marginal portion projectinginteriorly within said support members and supported throughout itslength in the slotted openings thereof;

e. rib means on said mounting members to limit the projection of therespective inner marginal portions thereof within the associated slottedopenings of said support members; and

. groove means on said mounting members adjacent the respective outermarginal portions thereof for receiving and locating edge portions ofthe panel elements in spaced relation to the support members.

2. The building wall construction as recited in claim 1, wherein saidrib means project upwardly from the mounting members adjacent therespective inner marginal portions thereof, said rib means extendinglongitudinally of said mounting members for abutting relation to wallportions of the support members.

3. The building wall construction as recited in claim 1 wherein saidgroove means includes a first groove portion for receiving an edgeportion of a panel element; and a second groove portion for receiving anedge portion of another panel element and locating said other panelelement in a predetermined spatial relation to said first mentionedpanel element.

4. The building wall construction as recited in claim 3, wherein saidfirst mentioned groove portion and said second groove portion aresubstantially aligned and oppositely extending with respect to eachother.

5. The building wall construction as recited in claim 1 furtherincluding bracing means extending between and interconnecting the pairsof opposed mounting members, said bracing means having opposite end hookportions respectively engaging the associated rib means of the mountingmembers.

6. The building wall construction as recited in claim 1, wherein thespaced slotted openings on the respective sides of the support members,at any given level, are in substantially longitudinally aligned relationto each other.

7. The building wall construction as recited in claim 1, furtherincluding structural filler means extending between the pairs of opposedpanel elements and the support members.

1. In a building wall construction having a plurality of pairs ofopposed panel elements, means for supporting said pairs of panelelements in spaced apart relation and means for mounting said pairs ofpanel elements on said supporting means, wherein the improvementcomprises: a. said supporting means including a plurality of verticaltubular support members located between the opposed panel elements inlongitudinally spaced relation; b. each of said support members having aplurality of pairs of opposed slotted openings formed along opposed wallportions thereof in vertically spaced relation, said slotted openingsextending transversely of the vertical axis of said support member anddefining extended support surfaces; c. said mounting means including aplurality of pairs of opposed elongated members extending transverselyof the support members in vertically spaced relation; d. each of saidmounting members having a longitudinally extending inner marginalportion received within the associated slotted openings in the walls ofthe support members, said marginal portion projecting interiorly withinsaid support members and supported throughout its length in the slottedopenings thereof; e. rib means on said mounting members to limit theprojection of the respective inner marginal portions thereof within theassociated slotted openings of said support members; and f. groove meanson said mounting members adjacent the respective outer marginal portionsthereof for receiving and locating edge portions of the panel elementsin spaced relation to the support members.
 2. The building wallconstruction as recited in claim 1, wherein said rib means projectupwardly from the mounting members adjacent the respective innermarginal portions thereof, said rib means extending longitudinally ofsaid mounting members for abutting relation to wall portions of thesupport members.
 3. The building wall construction as recited in claim 1wherein said groove means includes a first groove portion for receivingan edge portion of a panel element; and a second groove portion forreceiving an edge portion of another panel element and locating saidother panel element in a predetermined spatial relation to said firstmentioned panel element.
 4. The building wall construction as recited inclaim 3, wherein said first mentioned groove portion and said secondgroove portion are substantially aligned and oppositely extending withrespect to each other.
 5. The building wall construction as recited inclAim 1 further including bracing means extending between andinterconnecting the pairs of opposed mounting members, said bracingmeans having opposite end hook portions respectively engaging theassociated rib means of the mounting members.
 6. The building wallconstruction as recited in claim 1, wherein the spaced slotted openingson the respective sides of the support members, at any given level, arein substantially longitudinally aligned relation to each other.
 7. Thebuilding wall construction as recited in claim 1, further includingstructural filler means extending between the pairs of opposed panelelements and the support members.